See Jada Pinkett Call Out Eazy-E For Misogyny In His Music The First Time They Met (Video)

In addition to a prominent acting career, Jada Pinkett Smith is renowned for her activism. Pinkett’s calls to social justice have spanned decades. Now, Heads who may have missed it at the time are getting a look at how prophetic she was, even by the age of 20.

Back in April of 1992, Pinkett Smith, Eazy-E and other entertainers and Los Angeles community members, including actor Dennis Haysbert, participated in a morning news program, LIVE L.A. Video recently surfacing on Instagram and YouTube show the attitudes and ideas of L.A.’s urban community when it comes to uplifting their own. The show was the day of the infamous Rodney King verdict with a very young Jada Pinkett speaking up about misogyny in Rap lyrics, clearly criticizing Eazy and N.W.A. for their portals of women in their lyrics.

“I told [Eazy-E] that before I met him today [that] I thought he was a woman-hater because of his music that he writes,” Pinkett says in the live broadcast. “[I told him that] he, owning his own record company, can make a change within his community, to uplift us,” she added of Eazy’s Ruthless Records label.

“When I listen to his music I want to feel good about myself, I want to feel good about my people. I said ‘Eric, you have the power to do that,’” she continued after staring directly at Eazy-E, seated behind her. Asked by the host if he will change, E said, “Yes, to a certain point.” Eazy went on to admit that he doesn’t care if he is pressured by distributors and other music industry partners that want misogyny and violence in music. Haysbert (MajorLeague, Heat, The Unit) chimed in that he supports that attitude of free will, against corporate pressures.

There, Jada Pinkett interjected, “Right. You will do something else to uplift, but you can not sacrifice your self-being, your self-esteem or your spirit for money.”

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At 2:30, the discussion returns to Jada Pinkett’s points to Eazy-E. Asked about his music, E defended it by saying, “I do say nice things about sistas.” Again, Jada did not back down. “To me, Eric, but you’ve got to say it on the record where me being a young sista, I told Eric, ‘I cannot listen to your music and feel good about myself, now come on.'”

Even though the YouTube footage of the whole discussion was posted back in January, the actress and wife of Will Smith brought attention to it via a weekend post on her Instagram. “This is the day I met Eazy! We became the best of friends after this program,” she captioned under a clip of the video.

Pinkett and Eazy-E also had a mutual friend in Tupac Shakur. Pac worked with Ruthless Records (who also tried to sign him). He appeared on albums by Above The Law and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Ruthless artist Cold 187um (of Above The Law) and Kokane also appeared on the Menace II Societysoundtrack, a 1993 breakout film for Pinkett.